BRIGHTENING THE PICTURE

By
Leonard Maltin
|
Leonard MaltinNovember 26, 2010 at 5:32AM

Even though we’re in our fifth season on the air, and beamed into more than 50 million homes, ReelzChannel is still building its audience. Not long ago the powers-that-be decided to commission new sets, not only to make them more attractive,

Even though we’re in our fifth season on the air, and beamed into more than 50 million homes, ReelzChannel is still building its audience. Not long ago the powers-that-be decided to commission new sets, not only to make them more attractive,

but to be so eye-catching that when people chance upon our shows while channel-surfing they’ll want to linger awhile. Now that I’ve seen, and worked on, my new set I’m convinced they were right. I wish my neighborhood Bijou looked as appealing as the faux theater that serves as my new backdrop for Maltin on Movies.

I’m also pleased to announce that my weekly show, which debuts every Friday and repeats several times over the weekend, is now available for free on—

—Hulu; you can even watch past episodes at www.hulu.com/maltin-on-movies. This is especially good news since some people don’t receive ReelzChannel on their local cable system. (We’re on Channel 238 on DirecTV, Channel 299 on DishNet, Channel 298 on many TimeWarner cable systems, Channel 799 on at&t and 1799 on at&t HD.)

(For those of you who weren’t paying close attention, my program was called Secret’s Out for its first four years on the air, and we focused exclusively on indie films, imports, documentaries, and one vintage title every week. Audience tests showed that people wanted to hear me review major releases as well, so we’ve altered the format to include A movies coming out in theaters and on DVD, but we still incorporate “hidden gems” and one oldie on every show. Interviews remain a part of the mix, as well. I just had a delightful conversation with Paul Giamatti about his upcoming film Barney’s Version, which will air when the film is released in January. To see some other recent interviews, check out Kevin Kline, Gemma Arterton, and Justin Bartha. )